Resilience in Food Systems: Concepts and Measurement Options in an Expanding Research Agenda

Abstract

The idea of “resilience” increasingly appears in development dialogue and discussion of food systems. While the academic concept of resilience has roots in diverse disciplines, climate change and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have led to a rapid intensification of interest in the concept as it applies to food systems. Both the broad conceptual roots and the swift increase in attention pose dangers of conceptual dilution, contradiction, and confusion as agronomists and other analysts of food systems incorporate the resilience concept into their work. In this publicly funded research, the authors present the results of an extensive search of literature and subsequent analysis. The overview examines conceptualizations of resilience more broadly, followed by a similar review within the food systems domain. The authors consider connections among related concepts under the broader umbrella of food security, such as vulnerability and risk, and discuss challenges and opportunities in the investigation of food system resilience. The review of concepts serves as a precursor to an investigation of measurement options in a rapidly expanding body of empirical research, as measurement should flow clearly from conceptualization. The analysis here presents various resilience measures at different levels and breaks down their components as they apply to food systems, identifying commonalities and divergences. The authors identify a glut of resilience conceptualizations and measurements but indicate avenues for consolidation and precision. The range of options means that researchers can likely find suitable existing subconcepts and measurements for their own work across many different types of shocks. The authors also discuss policy and practical applications, including connections to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and food system responses to climate change and pandemics.